Session title: MOBILITY AND MIGRATION IN HUNTER- GATHERER SOCIETIES: FROM THE INDIVIDUAL TO THE GLOBAL SCALE

Mobility is a pivotal instrument for human survival. Mobility, defined here, as movement of people, things, and ideas, is a central concern to the understanding of human societies across the globe. The concept includes different geographic and temporal scales, from individuals’ random movements to intercontinental migrations. Most patterns in the archaeological record one way or another result from mobility, yet the understanding of the relationship between the static archaeological records and the dynamic prehistoric societies is a classical archaeological ‘enigma’ and continues to challenge our skills. The idea is to discuss a multi-scalar time-space framework that may integrate aspects of hunter-gatherer mobility and migration at different scales: 1) the individual (artefact), 2) household (dwelling), 3) regional (annual settlement cycle) and 4) world-system (trade/exchange network). Papers deal with archaeological, as well as ethno-archaeological cases from all over the world and also historical and ethnographic cases that illustrate aspects of hunter-gatherer mobility and migration.